PSL franchise hits back at IPL team over India-Pakistan Asia Cup protest, fans call it drama

India and Pakistan will play each other in the Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday, September 14, at Dubai International Stadium. This will be the first time the two sides meet since the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir in April, where 26 tourists lost their lives. India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the attack and destroyed terror camps in Pakistan’s territory.

Both countries went to a full war after India carried out the operation inside Pakistan, but it stopped when both sides agreed to a ceasefire. This further increased political tension between the two countries, and now many Indian fans are calling for a boycott of the match. They say India should not play against Pakistan, and some have even decided not to watch the game.

The boycott talk has also influenced cricket franchises on both sides. On September 11, Indian Premier League team Punjab Kings shared a graphic of the India vs Pakistan match but left the Pakistan side blank, without showing their name or logo. A day later, Pakistan Super League side Karachi Kings did something similar. They showed the Pakistan captain’s photo but left a black silhouette where India captain Suryakumar Yadav should have been.

Netizens slam both sides

This is being seen as an indirect response from the PSL team to the Punjab Kings after their cryptic post on the India vs Pakistan clash. However, many believe that in reality, neither side will actually boycott the game and fans will still watch it, even if they pretend otherwise on social media, including these IPL and PSL teams.

Game 2️⃣ for the defending champions. Let's goooo 💪#AsiaCup2025 #INDv pic.twitter.com/BgeoRfJjMo

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) September 11, 2025

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Game 2️⃣ for Men in Green. Let’s goooo ✈️#AsiaCup2025 pic.twitter.com/t812uktDsa

— Karachi Kings (@KarachiKingsARY) September 12, 2025

Bruh reomoved logo like we didn’t know which team is the match against

— Stumper (@TheStumpStory) September 11, 2025

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Acting as if they're being held at gun point to play Pakistan 😂😂 https://t.co/52SlsyuiCo pic.twitter.com/wVWkUq6A2R

— Uzair (@uzairedd) September 11, 2025

Performative BS is where we truly shine.

If you have the balls, speak up against the match in itself. Or speak up against all such bans in general. https://t.co/YNwnJsq0mr

— Ritambhara A. (@RitambharaA) September 12, 2025

Cashing in on the occasion but trying not to lose followers. Let’s accept the whole concept of Asia cup is to make 🇮🇳 play 🇵🇰 twice or thrice while acting dumb in front of public that it’s a multinational tournament https://t.co/k8yzM0Lpjp

— Sanchit (@Sanchit30497977) September 12, 2025

Punjab was directly targeted by that country during the conflict. Your local fans lived in fear under attack and yet here you are endorsing cricket with that same country. You made a choice here when you decided to post this and removing the symbol doesn't matter. https://t.co/OhrMzc72la

— Saratoga (@andy_mewfresne) September 12, 2025

Meanwhile, it has emerged that senior officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are likely to distance themselves from the clash to avoid being seen on TV amid boycott calls. The BCCI is facing backlash for allowing India to play Pakistan in the Asia Cup despite the recent tensions. But the BCCI has cited the Indian government’s policy to defend its stance on the game.

Originally, the Asia Cup was supposed to happen in India, but due to political issues, the tournament was moved to the UAE. Both teams started the event with easy wins as India beat UAE by 9 wickets, and Pakistan thrashed Oman by 93 runs.